Mortal Kombat X Quitality

When it comes to 1v1 multiplayer games, few things are worse than an inactive opponent. Getting online, preparing a strategy, and then finding out that one’s opponent simply walked away to do something else is not just insulting, it’s frustrating.

Mortal Kombat X is hoping to combat online inactivity with a new finishing move they’re calling the Quitality. Essentially, the inactive player will spontaneously combust and their head will pop off its body.

News of the Quitality comes courtesy of today’s Kombat Kast, in which NetherRealm devs showed off new fighting variations for Mileena, Takeda, and Kung Jim. They also confirmed that PS3-compatible fight sticks, like those released with Mortal Kombat 9 and Injustice, will work with the PS4 version of Mortal Kombat X. But, we have a sneaky suspicion there might also be some new fight sticks on the way for Mortal Kombat X, alongside PDP’s fight stick layout controller.

Mortal Kombat X Creative Director Ed Boon previously teased a new addition to the ‘-ality’ family, and it appears the Quitality is that finishing move. However, while Fatalities and Brutalities require complicated button combinations to enact, the Quitality triggers automatically.

But, while watching an opponent’s head burst free from their body is cool, that’s only a small satisfaction in the grand scheme of things. The better part of the feature is that it ends a match quickly and allows the active player to move on with a win. Instead of grinding through two rounds of pointless button pressing, the player can just advance to a new opponent.

Baraka Mortal Kombat X Screenshot

While a lot of the focus as of late has been on Mortal Kombat X’s story mode, NetherRealm Studios wanted multiplayer fans to know the developers have their best interests in mind. They are aware that inactivity is a big issue when it comes to multiplayer, and these Quitalities should hopefully combat that. If nothing else, though, they give the player a chance to embarrass their opponent.

It’s going to be a big couple of weeks for Mortal Kombat X, as the development team ramps up in preparation for release. We’ve had plenty of character reveals in the time since MK X’s first announcement, but NetherRealm has yet to give fans the full picture. They admit that some surprises are being saved for the finished product, but look for more Mortal Kombat X details sooner rather than later.

What do you think of the Quitality feature? Do you think more games should combat inactivity like this?

Mortal Kombat X releases April 14, 2015 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions have been delayed until summer 2015.